Sunday, May 31, 2009

For all physical geocaches and waypoints, think carefully about how your container and the actions of iPhone geocachers will be perceived by the public. For example, a cache hidden in full view of a restaurant or apartment building window exposes the geocacher to being seen by someone who may think the cache search looks suspicious. Your cache may be hidden on public property but there may be concerned residents on the other side of that property line. And, while an ammo box or PVC pipe may be a great container if hidden deep in the woods, it may cause alarm if discovered in an urban setting. A clear plastic container or a microcache may be a better choice. In busy areas, avoid containers that look suspicious, including attachment materials like wires or tape. To reduce confusion and alarm when a cache is discovered accidentally, clearly label your container on the outside with appropriate information to say it is a geocache. Cover over any military markings with paint or a geocache sticker. Include an explanatory "stash note" inside your cache. Common sense in selecting hiding spots and containers can reduce the risk of your cache being perceived as a danger to those who are unaware of our sport. For more on Geocaching and how to place a geocache please visit Geocaching.com

Friday, May 29, 2009

Many Google Advertisers received an email from AdWordsnoreply@Google.com stating "In the coming weeks, we'll upgrade your AdWords account" to their new interface.

This auto email itself stated the following points (to summarize):

-Its a 'a new web interface designed to make campaign management faster and easier.'-'You'll have at least 30 days from the date of this email before you'll be required to use the new interface'-'We're working to ensure that the new interface contains all of the reports and controls you need to manage your campaigns effectively'

Therefore there are two major points I will summarize with:

1. This is happening to everyone

2. You don't have a choice (so you might as well switch and get used to it asap)

If you have already familiarized yourself with the new platform, please pass along any help or feedback you may have.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

You've heard of the Android Market for Google's G1. You've heard of the App Store for Apple's iPhone. Now we have the Ovi Store for Nokia phones.

Nokia launched the Ovi Store on 5/26/09 allowing developers to add their programs to an online catalog for Nokia users to download. The store has over 50 Nokia handsets that are compatible at the moment.

Nokie use to be one of the greatest phone manufacturers (and some believe they still are). Does it still have a chance in the industry where giant competitors such as Apple and Google already have a large market share?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Today in Google's Top Trending Topics there was a lot of mention of Proposition 8, California Supreme Court, prop 8 decision, and other versions of the search involving the California Supreme Court's decision on Proposition 8, a change made to the California State Constitution last year banning the marriage of same-sex couples. A hot topic no doubt.

When visiting Google's Trending Topics the list of the top 100 search queries is displayed. By clicking the topic of your choice you are able to drill down to more information on that trending topic.

In our search for RECENT and RELEVANT topics on which to blog it just doesn't get more recent or relevant. The list of "Related searches" is a great reference for additional keywords to search on. Be sure to scroll down to pursue the News articles, Blog posts, and other related web results.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

In 2002 a professor of mine introduced me to a play that would forever have an impact on my life. A play that embodied the trials, tribulations, and monotony of life in a rather funny manner. After the first reading I sat there confused and to a certain degree drained, even though it is a short read. I read Waiting for Godot over and over, until I was sure that I was not missing something. Waiting for Godot sunk its teeth into me and still, to this day, has not let go!

Just the other day I found out something that made me very happy! After 50 years Waiting for Godot is back on Broadway. Waiting for Godot is a play by Samuel Beckett which became renowned as a existential masterpiece. It never did well in the theaters but it became required reading at most colleges.

I never thought that I would have the opportunity to see Waiting for Godot on Broadway, which upset me very much. Now that it is back on Broadway I have the chance that I have been waiting for. On July 11th, my dream will come true! So let's just say I am pretty excited and I am looking forward to this with great anticipation.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Marketing at the keyword level defines 2 basic types of keywords- general and specific. General marketplace keywords are expensive because competition is high due to high search volumes, but these keywords are expensive because their ROI tends to be poor. A general search query means the seacher is not very far along in the buying process and at this point is educating themselves on the market; even if this education is just comparative pricing. Specific keywords are those further along this buying process where it is evident in the search query that the searcher knows what he or she is looking for. In extremely specific cases, product numbers are searched for goods and area codes for services.

So along the process of educating, comparing and buying a good or service it also makes sense then, to tailor your ads to each point along that graph too. I would even argue in many cases that you don't want to be found along the 1st two points of the graph, but nevertheless, let the data speak for itself-- i.e. track everything.

To put this into practice it makes most sense to have ad groups within a given campaign differentiated by keyword specificity as it relates to the buying process. Therefore it is a clear path to writing for the different targets. Ad group 1 is written for the uneducated searcher, ad group 2 to the price comparer and 3 (if different than step 2) is for the buyer with credit card in hand. Again, the keywords are making the distinctions for all 3 steps.

Confused about how this relates to your web site or online marketing? Let us know and we'll make it make sense customized to your business needs.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Sprint announced they will release the Pre on June 6th, 2009. New users will get it for $199.99 after $100 MIR. Right now, the Palm Pre will only be released to the US market. Sad to say, it's not one of those phones you can unlock since it's running on CDMA (Unlike T-Mobile and ATT running on GSM).

Sprint plans on having their $199 8GB Palm Pre compete with the new 16GB iPhone which is supposidly going to be released for the same price but after the Pre. Click here to see details of the Pre

The Palm Pre running on WebOS runs applications on basic html, js, and css. Making an application easier for developers to design applications using desktop language.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The first is grilled poppers. Poppers are stuffed peppers, either hot or mild. While you can slice the peppers and clean them it is more fun to use a Jalapeno Pepper Roaster.The recipe that comes with it is fine but takes a little work. If you want you can just stuff the peppers with cream cheese. Fun to make and taste great.

I like the taste of lemon. If I order dessert is is usually something like a lemon tart. I dug out my old ice cream maker and found a recipe for lemon sorbet. It is fantastic.

Combine sugar and water and bring to a boil then simmer until sugar dissolves. Cool completely (overnight in the refrigerator). When cool add the lemon juice and the zest, stir to combine. Put in your machine and make the sorbet.

I had not used the ice cream maker for a few years. I had tried to make some low carb or low cal conconctions and was disappointed. Not now.

Monday, May 18, 2009

4.7 Magnitude Earthquake Rocks The Greater Los Angeles Area, to all newbies to our state we don't really get worked up untill they hit magnitude 6 or 7. Not to worry, the buildings here are build to withstand these little rollers like we felt last night.

Here is the rub, Today Monday May 18 we have a 1 in 20 chance of having a larger quake.

Let's all take this time to review the above video, posted by me to this blog 2 years ago and still true today.

Where did Lisa and I go after the quake to see where and how big? Twitter, where size and location information was being shared 1 hour before the ticker tape scrolled across the screen on survivor.

Send a Direct Message via twitter to @safeandwell with contact info, how and where you are. The Red Cross will enter you on the Safe & Well site. http://disastersafe.redcross.org

Saturday, May 16, 2009

About a week ago I sat in a wonderful Greek restaurant with my friend and client Will Bruzzo. Don't worry...Dennis was there, as well. I have known Will for at least five years. He is a successful criminal defense attorney in Orange County, California. While having lunch we talked about Will's parents, Aldo and Sarah. They own a villa and winery in Vicenza, Italy. Since 1985 Aldo and Sarah, with their son Alan, have been living the dream of owning an Italian vineyard.

As Will talked about their adventure he reminded me that Aldo and Sarah, whom I met a few years ago when they were visiting from Italy, have decided to retire and sell the villa and winery, Ca' Bruzzo. The beautiful Ca' Bruzzo Winery and Villa is for sale! Of course, my mind wandered back to 2003 when I first saw the movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, and I recalled how Dennis and I were both so taken by the story that we rushed home to see how easy would it be to purchase an Italian villa. Such dreams...now instead of living under the Tuscan sun, I find myself living under the Tucson sun!

But I digress...seriously, did you ever dream of changing your lifestyle, learning a new trade? I think we all do this from time to time. But every once in a while people actually take the plunge and just do it! So, if you find yourself at a crossroads in your life and want to think about starting a new chapter, then I invite you to check out Ca' Bruzzo. For all descriptive details and photos, you can visit Piedmont Properties. Here is a teaser...my own Picasa Web Album of Ca' Bruzzo.

Here is a YouTube video of Vicenza...enjoy.

Remember it is Saturday morning, the day for dreams. And when tonight comes, you might wish upon a star like a famous woodworker Geppetto and your dreams could come true.

Let me know if you decide to live your dream of owning an Italian vineyard.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Have you ever gotten an email notification from Yahoo Search Marketing stating that your 'Minimum bid requirements have increased for some of your keywords' in a Pay Per Click account you have with them?

Well let me attempt to set the record straight. This auto notification email specifically pertains to a keyword or set of keywords in your account that Yahoo is adjusting is invisible 'floor' of bidding. This is to say that for Yahoo's PPC program, they choose and set a minimum bid required to be displayed at all, even on lower pages. Therefore, the 'old school' model of being at the minimum bid of $.10 may not get you any impressions.

This auto notify email is then attempting to tell you that you may need to increase your bids as a result of this invisible floor raising up on your keyword(s).

These emails shouldn't though, give you too much of a problem in having to log into your account and track down the affected keywords, because if you were at the minimum bid previously and now wouldn't be displayed, you weren't pushing this keyword aggressively in the 1st place.

It is annoying to me how Yahoo goes about its business in attempting to alarm you with auto emails, so you can take time out of your day and in their hopes, spend more money with them. Again, if this was an important keyword for your campaign, you would be attempting 1st page positioning and therefore wouldn't be affected.

Yahoo is sure to let you know when your account has run out of money or in this case, when it wants you/is making you bid higher on the per click level. Now I just hope I can get some service on why they reject an Ad URL change and NOT tell me about it.

Do you have a marketing account with Yahoo and have no idea what I'm talking about? Let me educate you and help build your business. Yahoo historically around 33% cheaper than Google AdWords, both of which are necessary.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

T-Mobile G1 users will be getting an OTA (over-the-air) upgrade to the Android 1.5 "Cupcake" which is being pushed by T-Mobile randomly this month. Some of the features that are coming with the upgrade should have been there on the initial release and have been far pass due.

Some of the new features include an on-screen QWERTY keyboard (which helps prepare for the next Google phone which rumors say will be released this summer as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G). Other enhancements on the Cupcake include direct photo upload to Picasa and video upload to YouTube with the option to make them public or private. The picture or recorded video can also be sent as MMS and type in a title or caption. Faster browser thanks to the new JavaScript and webkit engines.

A new radio has been added on this release which should help the battery life as well. A few things that were not mentioned on the release also include contacts photo appearing next to the contacts name, home screen widgets, voice search, and of course a call log that makes sense. The Android 1.0 told you how long ago the last call was made but not what time. The Android 1.5 displays what time the last call was made (this feature should have been available on the 1.0 release).

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Google has released a change that could have a major effect on how people search and what web pages they eventually visit.

The new feature is call Google Search Options. It gives searchers the opportunity to easily find videos, forums, or reviews about the topic they were searching. In addition there is something called the "Wonder Wheel" that a searcher can use to find additional related keywords and sites.

Rather than try and explain it, go to http://www.google.com and do a search on a product or service that interests you. Then click on the link towards the top and below the word Google that says "Show Options." Now try the links on left to videos, forums, reviws, go towards the bottom and click on Wonder Wheel. Try it out.

While it is a little soon to know the effect of the search options it would seem that video, forum, and reviews will take on added importance as will optimizing for the "long tail."

Above watch this short view video from Google. The most important thing is to try it yourself.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tubey, a new application for the iPhone, creates and posts movies to YouTube and Facebook.

Take your pictures.Assemble and order your shots.Choose your transitions.Choose your music from a wide selection of copyright free music.Add captions.Create your video.Post your video to YouTube or Facebook.

"Zeitgeist" means "the spirit of the times", and Google reveals this spirit to us through the aggregation of millions of search queries they receive every day. Google has several tools that give insight into global, regional, past and present search trends. These tools are available for us to play with, explore, and learn from. We use them for everything from blogging ideas to trivial pursuit answers.

I hope you enjoy exploring the spirit of our time.

Tune in next Monday when I show you how to discover what people are twittering about in real time!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

I was eleven years old when the American icon Jerry Garcia left this planet for good. At that time in my life the Grateful Dead were just a band with a cool name that I knew very little, if anything, about. Jerry's death was much less significant to my generation than Kurt Cobain, who had died just a year before. Kurt's death impacted my generation greatly and Jerry's death impacted multiple generations.

As I grew older, people shared "The Dead's" music with me; like many others it grew on me quickly. However, I always accepted that I would never have the opportunity to see one of the all time greatest bands. Let's be real, Jerry was gone and as far as I knew was not coming back anytime soon.

What's left of the Grateful Dead is some very serious musicians that are approaching 70 years old. Drug and alcohol use was a staple of the band for 30 years; which equals out to health problems, such as liver transplants. But the music after 44 years is still alive in the band and the fans, both old and young alike.

Last night I had the privilege to see The Dead with Warren Haynes from The Allman Brothers play three sets of classic Grateful Dead songs. It was an experience I never thought I would have, and most likely will never have again. I was born in the wrong generation when it comes to the Dead, but fortunately people like Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, and Mickey Hart still have a few gallons of gas in them to continue jamming hard. The Dead with Warren Haynes will be an experience I will never forget.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

This is Mother's Day weekend...my mom, Marie Julia Lynch Eagen, passed away three years ago next month. But today I thought I would share with you how I remember Mom. Below is the eulogy I wrote for my mother's funeral on June 23, 2006.

"It is not easy to capture the essence of our mother. She came into this world with her twin sister on March 23, 1918. Born to Irish immigrants Humphrey and Margaret McCarthy Lynch in Butte, Montana, they were named Julia Marie and Josephine Agnes Lynch. They were, we are told, born at home and premature, so small that they were each placed gently in a shoe box and set near the oven to keep warm. They were not expected to survive. But today we gather to honor her 88 years as a woman, a faithful sister, a loving wife, a nurturing mother, a caring grandmother and great-grandmother, a kind aunt, a good citizen, and to all of us a loyal friend.

If I had to use one word to describe our mother it would be "principled". She selected certain principles to live by and believed strongly in passing those principles to each of us. If you knew her for just a short time or for most of her adult life, you know the principles that I am referring to...faith, education, discipline, music, work ethic, and dedication to husband, family, friends, community, volunteerism, and her church. From the time she was very young she was legally blind in one eye. She wore glasses at a very young age and suffered from scarlet fever. When she was 18 she moved to Great Falls, MT and enrolled in nursing college. She was determined to be educated and self-sufficient. In 1938 she graduated as a registered nurse and proudly practiced and kept her license in force until past the age of 80.

She married daddy in 1942, they were 24 and she was the consummate naval officer's wife, never complaining, living in less than perfect conditions during the remainder of World War II and caring for three small daughters alone throughout the Korean War, making a home in National City. Around 1952 daddy was transferred to Fort Campbell, KY, and we all traveled by train to live on an Army base. Sadly, daddy's military career ended when he suffered a series of heart attacks and was forced to retire. In 1954 we returned to National City, back to our little two bedroom home on east 17th street. Daddy retired and mom returned to full time nursing, supporting a family of five. In 1955, at the age of 37 she became pregnant with Michael and we all giggled with joy. Daddy bought a Gulf Service Station and we moved to new neighborhood to await the birth of Michael. On a rainy December 8, 1960, we moved to our last family home on "N" Avenue. The move had to be stopped so that daddy could make sure we all went to mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation, and our mother would not accept us not being in attendance. It was the principle! For 42 years that was our home.

I have never understood how she and daddy afforded to educate all of us in parochial schools, each with eight years at St. Mary's, their three daughters at Cathedral Girl's High School and Michael at St. Augustine's, but they did and we learned the value of a good education and with their help we all went to college. To complement this education she insisted, sometimes against daddy's resistance, that we all learn to play a musical instrument and be able to perform in public. For hours upon hours the girls would take turns at the piano and when Michael was old enough, he learned to play the trumpet. I believe it was more about the experience and the desire that we be well rounded that drove this principle or could it have been those recitals every year that would result from the early hours of diligent practice?

She taught us to sew our own clothes, she taught us the importance of buying good shoes, she taxied us to the orthodontist for more than twelve years to insure that we each had perfect "occlusion" and to guarantee those Irish smiles. At her insistence we all learned to type and homework was an evening ritual that she made sure we completed on our own. If we didn't know how to spell a word, she would very simply say, "Look it up!" and hand us the dictionary. Maybe this is why we all play scrabble and dabble at crossword puzzles.

Over the years, she celebrated our accomplishments, she danced at our weddings, cradled our babies, and found a way to regularly visit each of us, no matter how far away our careers or marriages took us. She proved to be the best mother-in-law one could ask for, always supportive but never intruding or offering advice(or almost never), perhaps truly living her principle "if you don't have something good to say, don't say anything at all!"

Daddy died March 27, 1979. Mom was alone, but she found interesting ways to fill her life. She continued her membership in the EAGLES' Women's Auxiliary, became active as a RED CROSS volunteer, worked a part time job as a school nurse, served as a precinct worker for San Diego County, dedicated herself to her friends, always willing to offer an hand to one in need of her services, and remained involved with the St. Mary's Parish.

Today, we are here in St. Mary's where two of her children were baptized, all celebrated their first communion, all were confirmed, three were married and daddy's funeral mass was celebrated. Mom came into this parish as a young married woman with two small children and for more than 50 years she came back to this chapel at least once a week and practiced her principle of faith. She leaves us today, with her extended family now numbering 28.

We will not say good-bye today, but simply good-night to Marie, mommy, mom, mother, grandma, ommy, auntie, and friend. Forever a part of each of us, we will remember her winning smile, her blue eyes, and her innate ability to size up a situation and stand on her principles. She will join our daddy, her brothers, and her parents. Today, June 23rd, is the 89th anniversary of her parents' wedding. She will be home in time to celebrate with them and to once again be held in the loving arms of her Joe."

The photo above is of my mother and my oldest sister, Joann. It was taken in Butte, MT, in 1944,the year my mom became a Mom. 65 years ago!!

Friday, May 8, 2009

The 'Scrubs' TV finale was this week. If you never caught the show, let me turn you on to it after this run is over. Scrubs is a medical comedy set in a southern California hospital, that follows around 3 interns from their 1st day of residency through 8 years of growth and friendship.

In addition to these 3 doctors, the main cast includes the chief of medicine, a resident doctor, a long time nurse and a quirky janitor. I recommend this series for a few reasons, but namely it is a fun and funny show that has heart in a setting of loss- a hospital.

To me the show is real while remaining entertaining in its purpose of being a comedy. Have you been ignoring this great show for the last 8 years?

Thursday, May 7, 2009

A tipped cow. Taken near the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Traditionally you would hear stories of people going cow-tipping at night when they are bored. Cow tipping is simply tipping over a cow (some view it as animal abuse). Some think its best to do this activity when the cow is sleeping but the fact is, cows do not sleep standing up to begin with. It is possible to tip over a cow with two to four people using their pressure at the same time.

A New trend began in 2005, smart-car-tipping in Canada where someone began tipping over smart cars in urban areas. I found it too funny so I took the liberty of creating this image below:

Ever wish you could wake up in the morning and not get out of bed? The ability to work from anywhere in your house has arrived. With a large enough monitor, one could literally work from bed if they so desired. Now, obviously, one would not work from their bed, but the ability to do so gives me great comfort. iPhone Airmouse in the Bedroom could very well be the wave of the future.

Mobile Air Mouse instantly transforms your iPhone or iPod touch into an in air, wireless remote for your computer! Sit back and surf the web, browse your photo library or control your music player from the comfort of your couch. Mobile Air Mouse uses the built in accelerometer to translate your hand motions into mouse movements on your screen. It can also operate as a trackpad, allowing you to control your computer with a single finger.

Mobile Air Mouse is an essential part of any home theater PC and a presenter's best friend. Mobile Air Mouse uses an innovative application notification system to let the iPhone know what program you are running at any time and show the appropriate keys for that program. This allows Mobile Air Mouse to provide a single screen for controlling ALL your media and web applications.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

April was another good month for the stock market and for our portfolios. At the end of April we were still down for the year, but coming back.

Our portfolio modeled after the Fortune 500 closed the month at $9701, a gain of $674 for the month of April. The low risk portfolio closed at $9856.52, a gain of about $429. the medium risk portfolio gained $590 to close the month at $9886.75. Lastly our monthly rebalancing closed at $9854.53, a gain of $465, so we will be selling some shares to keep at our 50/50 balance.

May is off to a great start for the market. Of course there is no guarantee that we will not see a retrenchment soon. While I am cautiously optimistic that we have seen the worse of this cycle, I also think that the future will be very different from the recent past for the economy. The economy of the early 2000's was overheated with a inflated demand for housing and considerable overspending by the American consumer. I don't think those conditions will return in the near future.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Spring in the Arizona living desert is amazing to see! Between the colorful array of Cactus flowers and the wildlife doing the sacred "dance", there is much to marvel at. Over the past month Doves have made their nests all over the property, mostly in obvious place like underneath patio roofs and high up in trees.

However, two days ago I walked outside and stood next the cactus by my back-door. I heard a noise, which was a Dove flying out of the cactus. I thought to myself what could possibly be so important that a Dove would hang out in a plant with a thousand sharp spikes. When I looked closer at the cactus I saw something astonishing, a sight only seen in the living desert.

This Dove family had chosen to make their nest right inside a folded paddle cactus. I guess they felt like this was the safest place. A little while later mother Dove showed back up.

Well, it will certainly be interesting to watch the mother give flying lessons from a cactus. I will continue to watch for updates, should be interesting!

Friday, May 1, 2009

New Research suggests that Pay Per Click campaigns can positively affect branding. In the words of the linked article, 'Turns out that search lifts brand metrics, particularly when paired with other media. Better yet, post-click lift in search metrics is off the charts, perhaps finally validating my branding effectiveness '.

Get you name out there as a goal, while simulanteously achieving your Web Site goals- whether it be defined as sales, leads or phone call traffic. Brand awarness, especially in your targeted and/or local community can be a significant source of traffic (of all kinds, including walk-in and referral).

The article by Payperclickuniverse, adds that 'brand lift' occurs after the click is made, sending the searcher to your web site- according to their research. And this makes sense in our experience. How are you catering to your niche, market and locality? What differentiation is made, and how are you marketing and identifying that to you client base?

If these questions are difficult to answer- visit the one stop shop of all things internet marketing, Webconsuls.com